Akaki
Encyclopedia
Akaki is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Misraq (East) Shea Zone
, Akaki is bordered on the southwest by the Debub Mirab (Southwest) Shewa Zone, on the northwest by Addis Ababa
, on the north by the Semien (North) Shewa Zone
, and on the east by Ada'a Chukala
. The administrative center of this woreda is Dukem
.
, Dukem
, and Awash
. Important forests include the government-protected Yerer and Addis Baha forests. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 72.2% is arable or cultivable, 7.6% pasture, 4.4% forest, and the remaining 15.8% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Lentil
s, chickpea
s and fenugreek
are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 3 licensed miners, 11 small industries employing 71 people, and 694 registered businesses including 44 wholesalers, 139 retailers and 115 service providers. There were 25 Farmers Associations with 10,853 members and 13 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 8549 members. Akaki has 85 kilometers of dry-weather and 35 all-weather road, for an average of road density of 210 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 16% of the rural 100% of the urban and 23% of the total population has access to drinking water
.
during the Robale Gadaa
(1570–1578) and Oda Nabi became too far for them to travel every eighth year.
Located in Akaki woreda is the Aba Samuel hydroelectric power plant, named after a nearby church. The complex includes the first dam built in the Awash valley, though it is actually on the Akaki river, constructed by the Italians in 1939, and the lake created by the dam has a storage capacity of 40,000 cubic meters. Originally a 6,600 kW hydro-electric plant, it was enlarged in the early 1950s so that it produced 20 million kWh a year by 1955. In the early 1940s, the British attempted to carry away vital parts of the electrical generator, but were stopped after a few minute's battle with the police of Addis Ababa.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 74,020, of whom 38,092 are men and 35,928 are women. With an estimated area of 571.41 square kilometers, Akaki has a population density of 129.5 people per square kilometer which is less than the Zone average of 181.7.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 53,886, of whom 27,902 were men and 25,984 women; no urban dwellers were reported in this woreda at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Akaki were the Oromo
(81.24%), the Amhara
(17.1%), and the Werji
(0.81%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.85% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 81.42%, and 18.14% spoke Amharic
; the remaining 0.44% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 96.66% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 1.83% of the population said they were Moslem
, and 1.03% practiced traditional beliefs.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Part of the Misraq (East) Shea Zone
Misraq Shewa Zone
Misraq Shewa is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. This zone takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. Misraq Shewa is located in the middle of Oromia, connecting the western regions to the eastern ones...
, Akaki is bordered on the southwest by the Debub Mirab (Southwest) Shewa Zone, on the northwest by Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, on the north by the Semien (North) Shewa Zone
Semien Shewa Zone (Oromia)
Semien Shewa is one of the 12 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Semien Shewa takes its name from the kingdom or former province of Shewa. Semien Shewa is bordered on the south by Addis Ababa, on the southwest by Mirab Shewa, on the north by the Amhara Region, and on the southeast by Misraq...
, and on the east by Ada'a Chukala
Ada'a Chukala
Ada'a Chukala is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Misraq Shewa Zone located in the Great Rift Valley, Ada'a Chukala is bordered on the south by Dugda Bora, on the west by the Mirab Shewa Zone, on the northwest by Akaki, on the northeast by Gimbichu, and on...
. The administrative center of this woreda is Dukem
Dukem
Dukem is a town in central Ethiopia. It is named after the Dukem River. Located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region, 37 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa and 10 kilometers northwest of Debre Zeyit, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1950 meters above sea level...
.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1500 to 2300 meters above sea level. Mount Yerer, on the border with Ada'a Chukala, is the highest point in Akaki; other notable peaks include Guji, Bilbilo and Bushu. Rivers include the AkakiAkaki River
The Akaki is a river of central Ethiopia. It is a tributary of the Awash River on the right side....
, Dukem
Dukem River
Dukem River is a river of central Ethiopia....
, and Awash
Awash River
The Awash is a major river of Ethiopia. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and empties into a chain of interconnected lakes that begin with Lake Gargori and end with Lake Abbe on the border with Djibouti, some 100 kilometers from the head of the Gulf of Tadjoura...
. Important forests include the government-protected Yerer and Addis Baha forests. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 72.2% is arable or cultivable, 7.6% pasture, 4.4% forest, and the remaining 15.8% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. Lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
s, chickpea
Chickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
s and fenugreek
Fenugreek
Fenugreek is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Fenugreek is used both as a herb and as a spice . The leaves and sprouts are also eaten as vegetables...
are important cash crops.
Industry in the woreda includes 3 licensed miners, 11 small industries employing 71 people, and 694 registered businesses including 44 wholesalers, 139 retailers and 115 service providers. There were 25 Farmers Associations with 10,853 members and 13 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 8549 members. Akaki has 85 kilometers of dry-weather and 35 all-weather road, for an average of road density of 210 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 16% of the rural 100% of the urban and 23% of the total population has access to drinking water
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
.
History
A local landmark is Oda Nabi, which is where the Macha and Tulana Oromo groups held their chefe assemblies together before the Macha crossed the Guder RiverGuder River
The Guder is a river of central Ethiopia. It is a tributary of the Abay or Blue Nile on the left side; tributaries of the Guder include the Dabissa and the Taranta. The Guder has a drainage area is about 7,011 square kilometers in size....
during the Robale Gadaa
Gadaa
Gadaa is the traditional social stratification system of Oromo males in Ethiopia and northern Kenya; it is also practiced by the Gedeo people of southern Ethiopia. Each class, or luba, consists of all of the sons of the men in another particular class...
(1570–1578) and Oda Nabi became too far for them to travel every eighth year.
Located in Akaki woreda is the Aba Samuel hydroelectric power plant, named after a nearby church. The complex includes the first dam built in the Awash valley, though it is actually on the Akaki river, constructed by the Italians in 1939, and the lake created by the dam has a storage capacity of 40,000 cubic meters. Originally a 6,600 kW hydro-electric plant, it was enlarged in the early 1950s so that it produced 20 million kWh a year by 1955. In the early 1940s, the British attempted to carry away vital parts of the electrical generator, but were stopped after a few minute's battle with the police of Addis Ababa.
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 74,020, of whom 38,092 are men and 35,928 are women. With an estimated area of 571.41 square kilometers, Akaki has a population density of 129.5 people per square kilometer which is less than the Zone average of 181.7.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 53,886, of whom 27,902 were men and 25,984 women; no urban dwellers were reported in this woreda at the time. The three largest ethnic groups reported in Akaki were the Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
(81.24%), the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(17.1%), and the Werji
Werji people
Werji is an ethnic group living in Ethiopia numbering 20,480 according to the 1994 Ethiopian census . They are located primarily in Southwestern Ethiopia and may have originally spoken an East Gurage language, but today primarily speak Oromo...
(0.81%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.85% of the population. Oromiffa
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
was spoken as a first language by 81.42%, and 18.14% spoke Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
; the remaining 0.44% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 96.66% of the population reporting they practiced that belief, while 1.83% of the population said they were Moslem
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
, and 1.03% practiced traditional beliefs.